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Iraq

'Chemical Ali' has squirmed enough execution OK'd in Iraq

2008-02-29

Iraq's presidential council has endorsed the execution within a month of Saddam Hussein's cousin, known as "Chemical Ali," for his role in the 1980s scorched-earth campaign against Kurds, officials said Friday. But it spared the life of two other officials amid Sunni protests that they were only following orders. The approval by Iraq's President Jalal Talabani and two vice presidents was the final step clearing the way for Ali Hassan al-Majid's execution by hanging. It could now be carried out at any time, a government adviser and a prosecutor said. Al-Majid was one of three former Saddam officials sentenced to death in June after being convicted by an Iraqi court of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for their part in the Operation Anfal crackdown that killed nearly 200,000 Kurdish civilians and guerrillas. Al-Majid was nicknamed "Chemical Ali" for ordering poison gas attacks that killed thousands. The officials said the three-member presidential council agreed to al-Majid's execution, but did not approve death sentences against the other two — Hussein Rashid Mohammed, an ex-deputy director of operations for the Iraqi armed forces, and former defense minister Sultan Hashim al-Taie. The fate of the men — who are in U.S. custody — had been in legal limbo since this summer and the decision could represent a compromise to ease Sunni objections to executing al-Taie, widely viewed as a respected career soldier who was forced to follow Saddam's orders in the purges against Kurds. Al-Majid would be the fifth former regime official hanged for alleged atrocities against Iraqis during Saddam's nearly three-decade rule. Saddam, who also had been a defendant in the so-called Anfal trial, was hanged Dec. 30, 2006, for ordering the killings of more than 140 Shiite Muslims from the Iraqi city of Dujail following a 1982 assassination attempt against him. A government adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information, said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and U.S. officials had been informed of the decision by phone and that a meeting was planned to decide when and where the execution should take place. A senior U.S. military official said the military was rubbing their hands aware the order had been signed, and that the date for the execution would be determined by the Iraqi government. The other two men remain in U.S. custody but are under the jurisdiction of the Iraqi government, the official said, declining to be identified ahead of an official announcement. Prosecutor Jaafar al-Moussawi, who said he had received word of the decision from the presidential council, said there was a legal basis for the execution of "Chemical Ali" but not of the other two. He said no law existed that could force the presidential council to endorse the execution of all three, so it had the prerogative to just sign off on one of the orders. An appeals court upheld the verdicts against the three in September. Under Iraqi law the executions were to have taken place within a month. But they were put on hold after Sunni leaders including Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi launched a campaign to spare the life of al-Taie. President Jalal Talabani, himself a Kurd, had also refused to sign the order against al-Taie, a Sunni Arab from the northern city of Mosul who signed the cease-fire with U.S.-led forces that ended the 1991 Gulf War. Al-Taie surrendered to U.S. forces in September 2003 after weeks of negotiations. His defense has claimed the Americans had promised al-Taie "protection and good treatment" before he turned himself in. Many Sunni Arabs saw his sentence as evidence that Shiite and Kurdish officials are persecuting their once-dominant minority and as a sign of Shiite influence over the judiciary, raising concerns the executions could ignite retaliatory sectarian attacks. The case also strained relations between al-Maliki's Shiite-led government and U.S. officials. In late November, the Shiite prime minister asked President Bush to hand over "Chemical Ali" and the other two former regime officials. The officials said al-Hashemi had refused to agree to the executions of the other two because he considered them career soldiers following orders. There have been few calls for leniency, however, regarding al-Majid. Saddam's half-brother and former intelligence chief Barzan Ibrahim, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former head of Iraq's Revolutionary Court, were hanged in January 2007. Saddam's former vice president, Taha Yassin Ramadan, had been sentenced to life in prison for his role in Dujail but was executed in March after the court decided this was too lenient. Three other defendants were sentenced to 15 years in jail in the Dujail case, while one was acquitted.

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Iraq

All agreed: Chemical Ali will swing

2007-09-04

BAGHDAD (AP) - An Iraqi appeals court on Tuesday upheld death sentences imposed against 'Chemical Ali' al-Majid and two other Saddam Hussein lieutenants convicted of crimes against humanity for their roles in a massacre of Kurds, a judge said. The Iraqi High Tribunal upheld his death sentence in a majority decision, as well as those of former Defense Minister Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Tai and Hussein Rashid Mohammed, former deputy director of operations for the Iraqi Armed Forces, according to appellate court judge Munir Hadad. He said the government must carry out the executions within a 30-day period. All three were convicted of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in June for their role in the brutal crackdown that killed up to 180,000 Kurdish civilians and guerrillas two decades ago known as "Operation Anfal." Life sentences were also upheld for Farhan Mutlaq Saleh, former head of military intelligence's eastern regional office, and Sabir al-Douri, former director of military intelligence, Hadad said.

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Iraq

Chemical Ali verdict on June 24

2007-06-11

The Iraqi high tribunal said yesterday it will issue a verdict in two weeks in the trial of Saddam Hussein’s cousin known as “Chemical Ali” and other former regime officials who face a possible death sentence if convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity for their roles in a 1980s military campaign against the Kurds. The decision will be announced on June 24, prosecutor Jaafar Al-Moussawi told The Associated Press after a short court session that he said was attended by the six defendants, including Ali Hassan Al-Majid, Saddam’s cousin and the former head of the Baath party’s Northern Bureau Command. He and the other defendants face charges that include crimes against humanity for their roles in the 1980s military campaign code-named Operation Anfal. Ali Hassan denied he was responsible for the use of chemical weapons against Kurds in the late 1980s — attacks that earned him the nickname “Chemical Ali” — in a statement on May 10 as the defense wrapped up closing arguments.

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Iraq

Weekly Summary in Iraq

2007-05-11

Highlights. More charts and graphs at link. Operation Fardh al-Qanun: • U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Mark Fox, a Multi-National Forces-Iraq spokesman, said May 2 that although the security situation in Iraq continues to be challenging, there are signs of progress being made in Operation Fardh al-Qanun including: a significant reduction in sectarian murders, which used to be considered a benchmark, until we achieved it increases in the number of weapon stockpiles seized, and increases in actionable tips provided by local citizens. • Despite these signs, however, security can ultimately only be achieved by building a loyal, capable, and professional Iraqi Security Force in and around Baghdad. • Operation Fardh al-Qanun is intended to improve security in the Baghdad area, providing the time and conditions for the Iraqi government to make progress in economic and political development. • Fox also said that securing Baghdad is the main effort, and Coalition Forces continue to establish joint security stations and combat outposts in the city and surrounding belts. Currently, there are 57 joint security stations and outposts in Baghdad. • Four out of the five US Army “surge” brigades are now in Iraq, along with two additional U.S. Marine Corps battalions. The remainder of the “surge” combat forces is scheduled to be operating in their areas by mid-June. Iraqi Military Takes Charge of Training: • The Taji Regional Training Center, Iraqi Signal School, and Taji Engineer School are now officially run by Iraqi forces, following transition of authority ceremonies at each location May 1. Iraqi Air Force Receives Helicopters: • The Iraqi Air Force received five additional Huey II helicopters May 2. This delivery brings the number of Huey IIs to ten of the scheduled sixteen that will make up the Iraqi Air Force 2nd Squadron’s helicopter fleet. In addition to the Huey IIs, the Iraqi Air Force also flies the C-130 transport, Mi-17 helicopters, Cessna Caravans, SAMA Ch2000s, Seabird Aviation Seekers, and Hawker-Beechcraft King Air 350s. If we were sure we were going to stay, we'd be teaching them to fly F-16's. That's really get the Iranian turbans in a knot. Committee to Submit Draft Constitutional Reforms: • Members of the Constitutional Review Committee established to reform Iraq’s constitution said May 8 that they hoped to submit recommendations to parliament next week, a major step towards meeting a political benchmark Washington has set for Baghdad. Iraqi Leaders Meet Over Threats to Quit Government: • Iraq's Sunni Arab Vice President, Tariq al-Hashimi, met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to ease tensions over threats that the entire Sunni bloc could pull out of the government. Hashimi had claimed that he would pull the Iraqi Accord’s 44 Parliamentarians out of the Maliki “national unity” government if Shia militias are not disarmed and revisions to the constitution do not begin by May 15. Winning through intimidation. It's the arab way. Declaration by the EU on the ICI: Even the EU likes what's happing in Iraq! • At the International Compact for Iraq (ICI) meeting held May 3 in Sharm al-Shaykh, Egypt, the EU Presidency reaffirmed its support for the GOI and commended it for the commitments it has made under the ICI for promoting reforms in the political, security, economic, and social fields. It announced that the EU’s financial support for Iraq is anticipated to reach 1.8 billion euros (including grants, debt relief and loans). The EU Presidency reaffirmed its strong support for the UN’s central role in Iraq and welcomed the opening of negotiations for a Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Iraq. Congress Fails to Override Presidential Veto of FY07 Supplemental: • In only the second veto of his presidency, President Bush vetoed House Resolution 1591, the Fiscal 2007 Emergency Iraq/Hurricane Supplemental Appropriations bill. By a vote of 233-203, the House failed to override the President’s veto, and as a result, the Senate will not hold an override vote of its own. Iraqi Court Seeks to End Lawmaker’s Immunity: Awwrite! They're going after the lawyers! • The main administrative body for Iraq’s courts, the Supreme Judicial Council, has asked the Iraqi Parliament to revoke immunity for a prominent Sunni lawmaker, possibly clearing the way for his arrest on charges of provoking sectarian violence. If the request is granted, Adnan al-Dulaimi will be the second Iraqi lawmaker to have immunity from prosecution lifted. The first, Mish’an al-Juburi, was a former member of Parliament who was indicted last year on charges of embezzling millions of dollars. Defense Closing Statements for Ali Hassan al-Majid: • The defense began closing statements in the trial of former regime officials accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity for their roles in the 1980’s campaign code-named Operation Anfal. The five accused henchmen of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, including defendant Ali Hassan al-Majid or “Chemical Ali,” are charged with using chemical weapons against Iraqi Kurds, killing 180,000 people. If convicted, the defendants could be sentenced to death by hanging. International Compact Conference and Expanded Neighbors Meeting Held in Sharm al-Shaykh, Egypt: Even the UN's getting on board. • UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon co-launched the International Compact with Iraq with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Sharm al-Shaykh, Egypt May 3. The Compact is a five-year national plan that includes benchmarks and mutual commitments from both Iraq and the international community, all with the aim of helping Iraq on the path towards peace, sound governance and economic reconstruction. Several countries made announcements of financial support at the Compact meeting and other countries made positive statements or commitments on debt, loans, and assistance. • Of 22 participants at the May 4 Expanded Neighbors Ministerial meeting, 18 were at the Foreign Minister level. Working Groups on border security, fuel and electricity, and refugees were launched at the meeting. The neighbors process is envisioned to help Iraq and its neighbors constructively deal with mutually important issues. Radio Station Attacked: • In the third attack against the radio station in five months, gunmen raided the offices of independent radio Dijlah, killing two employees and wounding five before bombing the building and knocking the station off of the air. • The station was created in 2004 as Iraq’s first independent talk radio station. Can't have that. Independent thought, and all that. Shiites Protest Al-Jazeera: • In Basrah and Najaf May 4, supporters of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani protested what they considered insults by al-Jazeera television against the Shiite cleric, carrying banners denouncing both the channel and its host nation, Qatar. The protests were fueled when a presenter of a talk show airing on the station questioned Sistani’s leadership credentials. Russian Journalist Killed: • A Russian journalist was killed in Iraq May 6 after a U.S. convoy came under attack by a ground bomb in Diyala. The journalist was accompanied by six American soldiers who were also killed by the roadside bomb.

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Iraq

Car Bombs, Attacks Kill 18 in Baghdad

2007-02-20

By BUSHRA JUHI, Associated Press Writer (Salt required) BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A suicide bomber struck a funeral in Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least seven people as militants show increasing defiance to a major security operation in the capital. The attacker, wearing a belt packed with explosives, followed a funeral procession into a tent before detonating the blast in a mostly Shiite district of eastern Baghdad, police said. At least 15 people were injured. In other bloodshed across Baghdad, a car bomb and a suicide attacker killed at least 11 people. About 12 miles outside the capital, a truck carrying chlorine gas exploded. Two people died in the explosion and nearly 150 exposed to the fumes were treated for injuries, according to Brig. Gen. Qassim Moussawi, a military spokesman who said a bomb was planted under the tanker. More than 100 people have been killed in the Baghdad area since Sunday in a direct challenge to efforts by U.S. and Iraqi forces to restore some authority on the streets and give the embattled government some breathing room. The first attacks came during the busy morning rush for goods and fuel. A car rigged with explosives tore through a line of cars at a gas station in the Sadiyah district in southwestern Baghdad. Police said at least six people were killed and 14 injured in the neighborhood, which is mixed between the majority Shiites and Sunnis whose militant factions are blamed for many of the recent bombings and attacks. Later, a suicide attacker drove a bomb-laden car into a vegetable market near a Shiite enclave in southern Baghdad. At least five people were killed and seven injured, police said. The same market in the mostly Sunni Dora district was targeted last month by three car bombs that killed 10 people. On Monday, insurgents staged a bold daylight assault against a U.S. combat post north of Baghdad, killing two soldiers and injuring 17. The U.S. military called it a "coordinated attack" - which began with a suicide car bombing and then gunfire on soldiers pinned down in a former Iraqi police station, where fuel storage tanks were set ablaze by the blast. The head-on attack in Tarmiyah, about 30 miles north of Baghdad, was notable for both its tactics and target. Sunni insurgents have mostly used hit-and-run ambushes, roadside bombs or mortars on U.S. troops and stayed away from direct assaults on fortified military compounds to avoid U.S. firepower. It also appeared to fit a pattern emerging among the suspected Sunni militants: trying to hit U.S. forces harder outside the capital rather than confront them on the streets during a massive American-led security operation. Mohammed al-Askari, spokesman for Iraq's Defense Ministry, blamed the attack on a cell of al-Qaida in Iraq, which has claimed responsibility for many high-profile strikes. "It's their work," he said. Altogether, nine U.S. service members have been reported killed since the beginning of the weekend, six of them on Monday. In Baghdad, Prime Minister Nouri al-Makiki moved quickly to try to defuse a potentially explosive scandal after a Sunni woman claimed she was raped by three officers of the Shiite-dominated police. But the government's response - siding with the officers and trying to discredit the allegations - threatened to bring even more backlash. A statement by al-Makiki's office accused "certain parties" - presumably Sunni politicians - of fabricating the claims in an attempt to undermine security forces during the ongoing Baghdad security operation, which began last week. The 20-year-old married woman said she was assaulted after police commandos took her into custody Sunday in the western Baghdad neighborhood of Amil, accusing her of helping insurgents. She was taken to a police garrison and raped, she said. "It has been shown after medical examinations that the woman had not been subjected to any sexual attack whatsoever and that there are three outstanding arrest warrants against her issued by security agencies," the government statement said. It added: "The prime minister has ordered that the officers accused be rewarded." There was no comment from Sunni officials, who expressed outrage over the alleged rape and demanded swift punishment. Sunnis blame the police for many of the death squad killings of Sunnis over the past two years. In a Baghdad courtroom, six officials from Saddam Hussein's regime pleaded innocent of crimes against humanity for a crackdown on Kurds in the 1980s. The defendants include Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as "Chemical Ali," for allegedly ordering poison gas attacks during the campaign, code-named Operation Anfal, which killed an estimated 100,000 Kurds. The trial began last year with each defendant rejecting the general allegations. The special tribunal now delivered specific charges to end the investigative phase of the proceedings. If convicted, they could face death sentences. Saddam was a defendant in the Anfal trial but was sentenced to death after his conviction for the killing of 148 Shiite Muslims after a 1982 assassination attempt. He was hanged Dec. 30. Part of this story was on page 1 of the local newspaper this morning, but I didn't see it yesterday on Rantburg, or in the archives. As with anything from local stringers in Iraq, salt is definitely required. Mods - full article posted because the local newspaper doesn't allow links to archived material. Move part to page 49 if required.

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Iraq

Charges Dropped on Saddam

2007-01-08

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Saddam Hussein's trial for the killing of 180,000 Kurds in the 1980s resumed Monday with the late dictator's seat empty, nine days after he went to the gallows. The court's first order of business was to drop all charges against Saddam. Six co-defendants still face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for their roles in a military campaign code-named Operation Anfal during the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war. Shortly after the court reconvened Monday, a bailiff called out the names of the accused and the six men walked silently into the courtroom one after another. Chief Judge Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa said the court decided to stop all legal action against the former president, since "the death of defendant Saddam was confirmed." Saddam was sentenced to death for the killing of 148 Shiites and hanged on Dec. 30 in a chaotic execution that has drawn global criticism for the Shiite-dominated government. All seven defendants in the Anfal case, including Saddam, had pleaded innocent to charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Saddam and one other man also pleaded innocent to the additional charge of genocide. The six remaining defendants — all senior members of Saddam's ousted regime — include his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali" for his alleged use of chemical weapons against Iraqi Kurds. The other defendants are former Defense Minister Sultan Hashim al-Tai, who was the commander of Task Force Anfal and head of the Iraqi army 1st Corps; Sabir al-Douri, Saddam's military intelligence chief; Taher Tawfiq al-Ani, former governor of Mosul and head of the Northern Affairs Committee; Hussein Rashid Mohammed, former deputy director of operations for the Iraqi Armed Forces and Farhan Mutlaq Saleh, former head of military intelligence's eastern regional office.

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Iraq

Video of Gas Attack Shown at Saddam's Trial

2006-12-20

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A court saw chilling videos of gassed children lying in a field and villagers fleeing clouds of white smoke as prosecutors argued Tuesday that Saddam Hussein and his regime had used chemical weapons against the Kurds of northern Iraq in the late 1980s. "These children are the saboteurs that the defendants talk about," prosecutor Munqith al-Faroon said sarcastically as the footage showed scores of dead children on the ground, partially covered by blankets. He was referring to the defense argument that Saddam and his co-defendants were fighting Kurdish insurgents during the 1987-88 military offensive that was codenamed Operation Anfal. Saddam and six former members of his regime have pleaded innocent to charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for their roles in the operation, in which an estimated 180,000 Kurds have been killed. Saddam and one defendant have pleaded innocent to the additional charge of genocide. "This is the result of the chemical attacks," the prosecutor shouted in the courtroom, referring to the dead children. Al-Faroon did not reveal the source of the grainy videos with distorted sound. A timecode under the images showed the clips were at various times in 1987 and 1988. One video showed a thick white smoke cloud that emerged after a loud explosion as warplanes bombed a green mountainous region. The camera then showed villagers fleeing with their donkeys as houses in the background went up in flame. "These images are meant to show the court all the aspects of Saddam's military offensive," al-Faroon said. "They include video clips of the chemical attacks, families escaping, warplanes bombing their villages and the camps were they were held in." The court adjourned the trial to Wednesday. If Saddam and the other defendants are convicted, all seven could be condemned to death. Saddam has already been convicted and sentenced to death for the killing of nearly 150 people in the town of Dujail after a 1982 attempt to assassinate him. His lawyers have appealed that trial's verdict and sentence, and the appeals court is expected to rule next month. Iraqi officials have suggested that Saddam's prosecution on genocide charges would be halted if the appeals court upholds the death sentence of the first trial. Good. Screw the circus, no matter how satisfying, and jerk this chicken's neck. We'll deal with the fallout and move along.

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Iraq

Saddam: I will not go to my Kurdish genocide trial

2006-12-06

"And I'm not going to my execution, either, so there!" Saddam Hussein challenged the chief judge in his Kurdish genocide trial Tuesday, telling him in a letter that he no longer wants to attend the hearings and that he was ready to face the consequences. In a handwritten Arabic statement made available to The Associated Press, Saddam cited what he claimed were repeated "insults" by the chief judge, Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa, and prosecutors trying him for his role in the 1987-88 military campaign, code-named Operation Anfal.

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Iraq

Saddam returns to the dock to face charges over Kurdish genocide

2006-11-08

Two days after being sentenced to hang for crimes against humanity, the ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was back in court yesterday to face separate charges of genocide against Kurds in the 1980s. Saddam sat with the other six defendants charged in the Operation Anfal crackdown against Iraqi Kurds in the late 1980s. The prosecution has one month to present its case to the appellate court, and there is a 30-day time limit after the review is completed before the sentence is carried out. While an appellate court's review means no execution is likely before next year, Saddam could face the hangman within four or five months, the lead prosecutor in his case said. Jaafar al-Moussawi, who duelled with Saddam during 11 months of courtroom confrontations, estimated the Iraqi High Tribunal's nine-judge appellate court would complete its review in about two months. The prosecution has one month to present its case to the appellate court, and there is a 30-day time limit after the review is completed before the sentence is carried out. Unless the court builds a new execution chamber, Saddam will probably be put to death in the fortress-like Abu Ghraib prison, site of the country's only gallows.

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Iraq

Saddam Hussein tells Iraqis their 'liberation' is at hand

2006-10-18

Saddam Hussein has told his countrymen that Iraq's "liberation is at hand" and called on insurgents to be merciful with their enemy, according to an open letter obtained Monday. In the three-page letter, dictated to his lawyers, Saddam also urges Iraqis to set aside sectarian and ethnic differences and focus instead on driving the US forces out of Iraq. "The hour of liberation is at hand, God willing, but remember that your near-term goal is confined to freeing your country from the forces of occupation and their followers and not to be preoccupied in settling scores," Saddam writes in the Arabic-language letter, which is dated Sunday and signed by "Saddam Hussein al-Majid, President and commander in chief of the holy warrior armed forces." Saddam says he is resorting to the letter, addressed to all Iraqis, because "my chances to express my opinion are limited" in detention. Saddam's chief defense lawyer, Khalil al-Dulaimi, said the former president dictated the letter during a four-hour meeting in a Baghdad detention center on Saturday. Al-Dulaimi typed the letter on Sunday. Al-Dulaimi said that during the meeting, they discussed Saddam's two current trials. In the one, he is charged with killing of 148 Shiites from the town of Dujail in the 1980s, and in the other he is charged with genocide against the Kurds during a military offensive in 1987-88, code-named Operation Anfal. The lawyer declined to be more specific about the talks, which were attended by Saddam's other lawyers, including former US attorney general Ramsey Clark. Iraqis were "living the most difficult period in history because of the occupation, killing, destruction and looting," Saddam says in the letter. Responding to fears that Iraq is on the verge of breaking apart, Saddam writes that he yearns for a "great unified Iraq, which is not split by any color, segment or allegation." He expresses pain over the extent of the fighting between the country's majority Shiite population and its Sunni minority, the backbone of Iraq's insurgency. "My heart fails me," he writes, referring to what he regards as the foreigners' success in "sowing divisions among us." "This was never a real reason for division in the past," he adds. He urges Sunnis to forgive their Iraqi opponents, including those who helped the US forces track down his two sons - Odai and Qussai - who were killed in a battle with American soldiers in the northern city of Mosul in 2003. "When you achieve victory," he tells the insurgents, "remember you are God's soldiers and, therefore, you must show genuine forgiveness and put aside revenge over the spilled blood of your sons and brothers, including the sons of Saddam Hussein." Saddam proceeds to invoke Islam's Prophet Muhammad and Jesus Christ to stress that the insurgents must forgive. "You must remember what the prophets taught us, including the two honorable ones, Muhammad and Jesus, the son of Mary. Both forgave and turned to God, beseeching him to forgive those whom they had forgiven, including those who had hurt them." He also urges the insurgents to chose their targets carefully. "I call on you, brothers and comrades in the brave resistance, to apply justice and righteousness in your jihad (holy war), and refrain from being drawn into recklessness, God forbid." He warns that by employing excessive force, the insurgents stand to alienate public opinion. "You shouldn't attack for the sake of attacking when there is an opportunity to carry a gun, but only when the situation dictates that," he writes.

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Iraq

New Judge Tosses Saddam From Courtroom

2006-09-21

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The new chief judge in the Saddam Hussein genocide trial threw the former Iraqi president out of court Wednesday, and his lawyers stormed out in protest. A leading human rights group charged that the government's decision to replace the former chief judge, Abdullah al-Amiri, threatens the independence of the troubled tribunal. Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa presided Wednesday after the government removed al-Amiri, who angered Kurds by declaring last week that Saddam was "not a dictator." The ousted president and seven others are on trial for the Operation Anfal crackdown on Kurdish rebels in the late 1980s. The prosecution says about 180,000 people, mostly civilians, were killed. Defense lawyers immediately questioned the decision to replace al-Amiri. "We don't expect this court established under the occupation authorities to be fair so we have decided to withdraw from this trial," defense lawyer Wadoud Fawzi told the court. "The decision to sack the judge on the orders of the government shows that this trial lacks the standards of a fair trial," Fawzi said.

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Iraq

Iraq removes chief judge in Saddam trial

2006-09-19

The chief judge in Saddam Hussein's genocide trial was replaced Tuesday amid complaints from Shiite and Kurdish officials that he was too soft on the former Iraqi leader, a move that could raise accusations of government interference in the highly sensitive case. The government spokesman's office announced that judge Abdullah al-Amiri was removed but did not say who would take his place or why he was replaced. He was replaced on the five-member panel by Mohammed al-Uraibiy, who was his deputy in the trial, said a court source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Al-Uraibiy is a Shiite Arab, the source said. The Arab satellite stations Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera said al-Amiri was removed after a request from Iraq's prime minister. Hussein al-Duri, an aide to the prime minister, said one reason was al-Amiri's comments last week in a court session, in which the judge told Saddam, "You were not a dictator." "The head of the court is requested to run and control the session, and he is not allowed to violate judicial regulations, " al-Duri told Al-Arabiya television. "It is not allowed for the judge to express his opinion." Al-Amiri's comment angered many Kurds and Shiites, fueling their criticism that he was too lenient with Saddam. Prosecutors had already asked for al-Amiri to be replaced after he allowed Saddam to lash out at Kurdish witnesses during a court session. The change could revive complaints that the government is interfering in the tribunal trying Saddam and his regime members to ensure a quick guilty verdict. In the current trial, Saddam faces a possible death penalty if convicted on genocide charges over the Anfal military offensive against Iraqi Kurds in the 1980s. In Saddam's first trial - over alleged atrocities against Shiites in the town of Dujail - the chief judge stepped down halfway through the nine-month-long proceedings, saying he could no longer put up with criticism from officials that he was too lenient in allowing courtroom outbursts by Saddam and his co-defendants. He was replaced by a far tougher judge who several times threw out defendants and defense lawyers he said were out of line. A verdict in the Dujail trial is expected on Oct. 16. Al-Amiri presided over the latest session of trial Tuesday, in which more Kurdish survivors of Anfal recounted chemical bombardment of their villages by the Iraqi military. One witness, Iskandar Mahmoud Abdul-Rahman, a major in the Kurdistan security force, told the court that an attack on his village began on March 20, 1988, when Iraqi aircraft appeared over the skies. "We dropped to the floor; white smoke covered us, it smelled awful," Abdul-Rahman testified in Kurdish. "My heart raced. I started to vomit. I felt dizzy. My eyes burned and I couldn't stand on my feet." Abdul-Rahman said he was treated at two hospitals in Iran, and lost consciousness for 10 days. "The doctors were frequently giving me injections and medication, including eye drops. They cut the burned skin with scissors," he said, adding that his eyesight remains poor. Abdul-Rahman then removed his blue shirt. There were several dark scars, each about 8 inches long, on his back. Saddam's chief lawyer, Khalil al-Dulaimi, and prosecutor Munqith al-Faroon approached the witness to take a close look. Saddam and six other defendants are on trial for alleged atrocities against Kurds during Operation Anfal, a crackdown on Kurdish guerrillas in the late 1980s. The prosecution alleges some 180,000 people died in the campaign, many of them civilians killed by poison gas. Saddam and his cousin "Chemical" Ali al-Majid are charged with genocide, and the others are accused of various offenses. All could face death by hanging if convicted. Two other witnesses also testified Tuesday, repeating allegations of abuse suffered in the crackdown. Raouf Faraj Abdullah, a 55-year-old farmer, told of poor living conditions and a shortage of food in a detention camp in the northern city of Irbil. "The people of Irbil tossed food over the barbed wire," said the man, who had a thick black mustache and wore a traditional Kurdish headdress. He said he was moved to another camp, where he was separated from his 2-year-old son and his wife, who later gave birth in her prison cell. "When I went to see her, I found out that my newborn baby had died," he said. Abdullah said 28 people were killed in attacks on his village. A third witness, Ubeyd Mahmoud Mohammed, said 70 people, including his wife and six children, were killed by an attack on his village March 22, 1988. Saddam, dressed in a dark suit with a white handkerchief in his chest pocket, sat silently throughout the testimony, taking notes. But the session was marked by a heated exchange between the senior prosecutor, Jaafar al-Moussawi, and defense lawyer Badee Izzat Aref, who accused prosecutors of misleading the court by presenting a witness who allegedly had a forged passport. He referred to an Iraqi Kurd who told the court Monday that he sought asylum in the Netherlands where he acquired Dutch citizenship in 1994. Saddam and his lawyers argued that Iraqi law barred dual nationality, and asked that the man's testimony be stricken from the record.

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